Program Advocate

Program Advocate

WISE Advocates are integral to our mission of leading the Upper Valley to end gender-based violence. Program Advocates are responsible for providing sophisticated, well-coordinated advocacy for victims of gender-based violence, their family, friends, and communities. Advocates build and maintain relationships with survivors, community organizations and institutions to best meet the needs of people who have experienced domestic and/or sexual violence, trafficking and stalking. 

Hours: Full time, salary, exempt. Core hours are Monday – Friday 8:30 – 4:30. Some evening and weekend hours required. 

Reports to: This position reports to the Program Director, and is part of the Crisis and Advocacy Team (CAT). 

Location: Advocates are based out of the WISE Program Center in Lebanon, NH. Advocacy takes place largely on site and in person at community partner locations, with some regular opportunity to work from home. The position requires a response time of less than 45 minutes to Lebanon.

Job Responsibilities:

• Participate on a team of advocates to realize WISE’s mission of survivor-centered advocacy.
• Advocate with survivors and their community, including spontaneous and scheduled meetings at the Program Center, by phone or video, and institutional advocacy including at court/legal system, hospital/medical providers, and law enforcement.
• Coordinate and facilitate opportunities for survivor connection and community.
• Provide for back-up duties and responsibilities beyond WISE core hours monthly.
• Maintain clear, accurate and timely documentation in accordance with WISE’s data collection and reporting requirements.
• Attend community, staff, and/or Board meetings, trainings and/or conferences as requested by the Executive/Program Director.
• Participate in the strategic and annual planning processes of WISE and the Advocacy team, with a particular responsibility for WISE’s Safe Spaces Program. 
• Perform other duties for the overall functioning of the organization and those duties as requested by the Executive/Program Director. 

Qualifications:

• Relevant educational or life experience equivalent of 4 years of higher education or 4 years of professional experience. 
• Ability to work with many kinds of people, including professionals and people in crisis and/or with histories of trauma, and juggle many competing priorities while remaining kind, calm, and effective. Must be able to prioritize and multi-task.
• Preferred background in the field of domestic or sexual violence survivor advocacy or prevention, and/or sophisticated knowledge of the issues, and/or experience within the child welfare system.
• Strong commitment to social change advocacy, the Empowerment Model, and a feminist framework for understanding gender-based violence.
• Clear judgment, discretion and competency for complex situations.
• Computer literate in at least Microsoft Suite and WWW.
• Able to lift 40lbs, and stand or sit for long stretches
• Reliable transportation, valid driver’s license, required minimum vehicle insurance.
• WISE requires all employees to submit criminal background and driver’s license checks, employment may be dependent on findings.
• Successful completion of the WISE Advocate Training Program within 3 months.

WISE employees must honor staff values and practice ethical communication. 

Benefits

• The salary range for this position is $43,000 - $45,000
• Other benefits include generous vacation time, 100% employee health premium coverage, and retirement fund contributions. 

WISE encourages diversity in applications. Cover letter and resume can be submitted 
to kate@wiseuv.org.